V. Assessing the English-Language and Spanish-Language News Media

The Pew Hispanic Center survey asked respondents to assess Spanish-language and English-language news organizations on two measures—whether news organizations get the facts straight and how well both news media cover news that is specifically relevant to Hispanics living in the U.S.

Getting the Facts Straight

When it comes to the accuracy of news reporting, Hispanics are just as likely to say Spanish-language news organizations and English-language news organizations “get the facts straight” in their news stories and reports.

According to the survey, six-in-ten (60%) Hispanic adults say that Spanish-language news organizations “get the facts straight” while 26% say the news stories and reports from Spanish-language media are “often inaccurate.” Hispanics’ assessment of English-language news organizations is nearly the same. Overall, 59% of Hispanic adults say English-language news organizations get the facts straight while 31% say English-language news organizations’ stories and reports are often inaccurate.

Immigrant Latinos are more likely than native-born Latinos to say that Spanish-language news organizations get the facts straight in their reporting—65% versus 53%. Assessment of the accuracy of Spanish-language news organizations is also related to the language Hispanics use to get their news. Among Hispanics who consume news in both English and Spanish, 68% say Spanish-language news organizations get the facts straight. Among those who get their news only in Spanish, a similar share (65%) says the same about Spanish-language news organizations. However, among Hispanics who get their news only in English, half (48%) say Spanish news organizations get the facts straight. (But an additional three-in-ten Hispanics who consume news media only in English say they don’t know whether Spanish-language news organizations get the facts straight or if their stories and reports are often inaccurate.)

In the case of English-language news organizations, differences also exist among Latino demographic subgroups. Just as with their assessments of Spanish-language news organizations, immigrant Latinos are more likely than native-born Latinos to say English-language news organizations get the facts straight—64% versus 54%.

Overall, 68% of Hispanics who get their news in both languages say English-language news organizations get the facts straight. By contrast, 53% of Hispanics who get their news only in Spanish and 53% of Hispanics who get their news only in English say the same.

Covering Stories Relevant to Hispanics in the United States

The Pew Hispanic Center Survey also asked respondents to rate the job the Spanish- and English-language news media have done covering news that is relevant to Hispanics living in the U.S. Overall, the Spanish-language news media are seen as doing a better job at this than the English-language news media.

Seven-in-ten Hispanic adults say the Spanish-language news media do an “excellent” (24%) or “good” (46%) job covering news relevant to Hispanics in the U.S. while about one-quarter say it does “only a fair” (20%) or “poor” (3%) job. By contrast, about six-in-ten Hispanic adults say the English-language news media do an excellent (17%) or good (42%) job covering stories specifically relevant to Hispanics living in the U.S., while about four-in-ten say it does an only fair (28%) or poor (9%) job.

Views of how good a job each type of media is doing covering stories relevant to the Hispanic community vary by nativity. About eight-in-ten immigrant Hispanics say the Spanish-language news media do an excellent (29%) or good (48%) job covering stories relevant to Hispanics in the U.S. By contrast, 60% of U.S.-born Hispanics say the same about the Spanish-language news media’s coverage of stories relevant to Hispanics.

Assessments of the job the English-language news media are doing covering stories relevant to the Latino community in the U.S. also vary by nativity. About two-thirds of foreign-born Latinos say the English-language news media are doing an “excellent” (21%) or “good” (43%) job covering stories relevant to the U.S. Latino community. However, among native-born Latinos, assessment of the English-language news media’s job covering Hispanic stories is split. About half of native-born Latinos say the English-language news media are doing an excellent (11%) or good (40%) job covering these stories, while another half say the English-language news media are doing “only a fair” (34%) or “poor” (13%) job covering stories relevant to Latinos.

Among Latinos who get their news only in Spanish, 80% say the Spanish-language news media do an excellent or good job covering news specifically relevant to Latinos in the U.S. Similarly, 76% of Latinos who get news in both Spanish and English says the same. However, among Latinos who get their news only in English, a smaller share (54%) says the Spanish-language news media do a good job covering news relevant to the U.S. Latino community.

Assessments of the job the English-language news media are doing covering stories specifically relevant to the Hispanic community in the U.S. are lower. Among Hispanics who get their news only in English, about half (47%) say the English-language news media are doing a good job covering stories relevant to the Hispanic community. Among Hispanics who get their news in both English and Spanish, that share rises to 62%. And among Hispanics who get their news exclusively in Spanish, 65% say the same.

About Pew Research Center Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping America and the world. It conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis and other empirical social science research. Pew Research Center does not take policy positions. It is a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts.